BBL Giants kick up a Storm
It may have been the day after Christmas but there was little of the Yuletide spirit in evidence at MEN Arena for the much anticipated first clash of the season between Manchester Giants and Derby Storm.
But in the end, it was Manchester who took the Boxing Day honours with a 95-80 victory which gives the Giants a valuable help-up in the Northern Conference race, sitting just four points adrift of leaders Sheffield..
The visitors sped out to an early 7-17 lead with seven straight points before Giants retorted with a 9-1 spurt of their own to close back to 16-18 with 4:02 left in the first quarter but they still trailed 20-24 going into the first break.
Nick Nurse's hosts finally re-took the first lead early in the second quarter but it was briefly cancelled out by a trey from Derby's Carl Miller, a personal response to his pre-season dumping by Manchester. However consecutive baskets from outside the arc from Giants' Ronnie Baker put his side up by five points, a cushion which was maintained with the scoreline 45-40 at half-time.
Storm coach Martin Ford reneged on his recent aim to stay off the court, entering the game after the re-start but his appearance failed to stimulate his troops who fell victim to an double whammy from Tony Dorsey and Roy Hairston, the pair bolting Giants into a comfortable lead in the final quarter.
Dorsey netted seven straight points to help his side from 72-73 down to 83-73 in front. which proved decisive. Hairston ended on a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, one more than Dorsey on 25.
Kip Stone, who hit two three pointers in the first five minutes of play en route to a game total of 18 points, finished just behind Cypheus Bunton on 20 in Derby's offensive statistics.
Giants now look to extend their winning sequence to five games and continue the defence of their uni-ball Trophy title tomorrow when they meet Chester Jets at the NEC.
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